Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of power supplies and, more particularly, to power supply configuration with adaptive noise control.
Power supplies are used to power a wide variety of electronic devices. Some power supply outputs can include noise that can appear as small magnitude voltage variations superimposed on the output voltage. For example, if a power supply has a five volt DC (direct current) output, the power supply output can include noise in the form of high frequency voltage spikes. Often these voltage spikes are on the order of microseconds or milliseconds in duration, and can be on the order of 100 millivolts in amplitude. Switching power supply designs can have noisier output than other power supply designs because of the inherent current switching within the power supply. Switching power supply designs are often selected despite their noisier outputs because of low cost and high output current capability.
Power supply noise can adversely affect performance of electronic devices. For example, within an electronic communication device, power supply noise can decrease sensitivity to relatively low power communication signals. In some designs, power supply noise can effect communication signal reception, particularly if signal reception components are powered by the power supply outputs. Therefore, what is desired is a way to reduce the sensitivity of an electronic device to power supply noise.